


Is It A Monster? Is It A Monster?

by pinkevilbob



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Body Horror, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Halloween, Warning: Trent Ikithon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:20:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26935753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkevilbob/pseuds/pinkevilbob
Summary: A semi-circle of cupcakes surrounded Jester's closet like a makeshift barrier. She had made sure that each cupcake was a different flavor since she didn't know which one her 'guest' would like best.Jester watched the closet door closely from the sanctuary of her blanket draped over her. All the lights were off and she clutched her flashlight tightly. Spending the whole night without even her nightlight on was a struggle, but it was going to be worth it. No matter what Jester was going to prove that there was a monster in her closet.
Relationships: Jester Lavorre/Caleb Widogast
Comments: 41
Kudos: 104





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween!! I know I haven't been posting much lately, but of course I had to do something special for Halloween/October. The current plan is that I'll be posting a chapter every Saturday and then an epilogue on the Sunday after Halloween(thought I'm only part way through chapter three and things can easily change). Oh and the title comes from 'Monster' by The Automatic.
> 
> I hope you guys like it.

A semi-circle of cupcakes surrounded Jester's closet like a makeshift barrier. She had made sure that each cupcake was a different flavor since she didn't know which one her 'guest' would like best.

Jester watched the closet door closely from the sanctuary of her blanket draped over her. All the lights were off and she clutched her flashlight tightly. Spending the whole night without even her nightlight on was a struggle, but it was going to be worth it. No matter what Jester was going to prove that there was a monster in her closet.

Her mother just chuckled and ruffled her hair complimenting her wild imagination when Jester first mentioned it. When Jester kept insisting that there was a monster in her closet, her mother frowned saying that at 14 Jester should be too old for that kind of game. Jester dropped it after that.

It didn't change the facts though. Strange sounds would come from her closet at night and her hidden snacks were all missing with only crumbs left. At first, Jester thought that it might've been some kind of animal. Maybe it was a weasel that could become her pet and best friend. That was until she saw the claw marks on the floor. Huge massive ones bigger than any animal that dared come to Nicodranas. There was only one possibility; there was a monster in Jester's closet.

Which was why Jester was wrapped in her blanket(the perfect monster defense) in the pitch dark(monsters hated the light) with only her flashlight as company(Jester had decided that none of her stuffed animals deserved to be endangered). The cupcakes were one part peace offering one part distraction. She didn't know if the monster was a nice one or a mean one that ate people. Jester hoped for the former. It always disappointed her when monsters were actually mean in stories. But it was wise to prepare for the worst case scenario.

Jester was fighting the urge to close her eyes and give up when she heard her closet door creak ever so slightly. Holding her breath, she turned on her flashlight under her blankets and peeked out at the door.

The door slowly moved forward and then stopped. At first, Jester thought it was nothing but the house moving on it's own. But then she noticed that one of the cupcakes was missing. She nearly squealed, but managed to keep herself under control. Instead, she hunched down lower and watched.

A thin arm reached out of the closet and fumbled about until it found a cupcake and started to pull it back in behind the door. 

"You are real!" Jester blurted out

The arm dropped the cupcake and snaked back quickly.

"No! Come back!" Jestr cried. "I just wanted to see you."

The door stayed still.

Jester crawled out from under her blanket. A dangerous move as everyone knows that blankets are the best defense against monster's, but this was the time for action. "Here," she picked up the cupcake, "you dropped this." Carefully, she opened the door and peered behind it.

And there was the monster huddled in the corner of the closet. Its eyes glowed blue reflecting the light of Jester's flashlight. It was scrawny with long, thin limbs covered with scruffy thin orange fur. Catlike ears were pinned back as it trembled staring at her. 

"Hi," Jester said her voice barely over a whisper.

The monster continued to just stare at her. It reminded her of the cat she tried to make friends with across the street.

"Are you scared of me?" Jester asked. "You shouldn't be. I'm super nice and cool."

That got an eyebrow raised from the monster.

Jester huffed. "I am cool! What do you know? You're just eating cupcakes in my closet."

The monster's fur stood on end and it backed more into the corner.

"No, no I wasn't being mean." Jester bit her lip with thought. She was trying to be nice. "I mean, my name's Jester. See nothing scary about that."

"Jester," the monster said. It had a masculine voice, but it was high and reedy like he was still a boy.

Jester gasped. "You can talk!"

He gave her an odd look. "You thought I couldn't?"

"Well, you were just staring and not saying anything," Jester pointed out. "So you can't blame me for thinking that you were like a dog or something."

He drew his lips back in disgust. "I'm not a dog."

"I know that. I was just saying that I thought you might be like a dog," Jester said.

"I don't like dogs."

Jester huffed. "Would you prefer if I compared you to a cat?"

The monster gave it some thought and then nodded. "Yes."

"Fine, I thought you might be like a cat, but you're not. You're like a person," Jester said.

"Not really," he said. "I'm just a monster."

Jester frowned at that. She had been thinking of him as a monster, but the way he said it was laced with sadness and disgust. "Well, do you have a name?"

He looked around the closet avoiding her eyes. "Caleb. You can call me Caleb."

"See, that's a super normal name Caleb. So you are definitely like a person," she said. He frowned at this. "Or maybe you're just the most boring monster ever and might as well be a person."

"I am a monster," Caleb said.

“Nope!" Jester smirked at him. "I don't buy it."

Caleb glared at her. "What? Do you expect me to prove it to you?"

"Yep! Prove it!"

Caleb held out his claws and bared his teeth. "See?"

Jester looked them over carefully. She had to admit that they were very intimidating. "They are pretty neat, but I don't think that makes someone a monster."

"They make someone not human," Caleb said.

"Yeah, but I think being a monster is more about how you act, you know?" Jester got up and wandered the room.

Caleb was quiet for a long while. "I've done some terrible things."

"Like what?" Jester asked, taking down a scarf from a shelf.

"Please, don't ask me to tell you."

Jester turned back to Caleb. “Is it too bad to say out loud?”

Caleb only nodded.

“Okay, you don’t have to tell me yet,” Jester said. She went back to her searching and grabbed a hat. “Did you like the cupcakes?”

“Ja, they are very good,” Caleb said.

Jester grinned. She was right about cupcakes being the perfect monster bait. “You can have the rest if you’d like.”

“Really?” Caleb asked.

“Yep.” Jester picked up two pairs of gloves and held them up. “Which ones do you like? The blue ones or the pink ones?”

Caleb looked up in the middle of stuffing three cupcakes into his mouth and shrugged.

She pouted and set the pink ones down. “Blue then.” Next, Jester grabbed an oversized hoodie that was too big for her. “Here!” she said, shoving the hat on Caleb’s head.

“What are you doing?” Caleb asked.

“Making an incredibly clever disguise.” Jester wrapped the scarf around the lower half of his face. “Put these on,” she said, handing him the gloves.

Caleb frowned at them. “And why do I need an incredibly clever disguise?”

“Because I’m going to take out and we’ll have fun!”

“What?!” Caleb pressed his back against the wall. “Nein! I can’t. I won’t!”

“Cay-leb,” Jester said pouting. “You can’t just stay in my closet. It’s not that big and it’s no place to live.”

He shook his head. “I don’t live in there. I was just visiting.”

Jester leaned forward eagerly. “From where? Is there a monster world? Is that where you live?” She bounced with excitement. It was just like her favorite movie.

“Nein. It’s not a world or anything like that. It’s just where I am,” he said.

“That sounds sad,” Jester said. “Do you ever get lonely?”

Caleb shrugged and looked away from her. “It’s what I know. I do get hungry.”

“And that’s why you’ve been eating my snacks!”

“Sorry,” Caleb said. “What he gives us is tasteless mush.”

Jester frowned at this. “Who does? Your dad? And who’s us?”

Caleb hung his shoulders low. “It’s nothing for you to worry about. And I don’t have a dad or parents in general. Not anymore.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Jester said softly. She couldn’t imagine not having her mom.

He smiled weakly at her. “It’s not your fault.”

“So you’re all alone then?”

“Nein, I have a guardian,” Caleb said.

Jester pursed her lips. “And he sounds like the worst.”

Caleb sunk down. “He’s what I deserved.”

Jester put her hands on her hips and drew herself to her full height(which admittedly wasn’t that tall). “Nobody deserves to be treated like that, Caleb. Even if they’re a monster.”

“But-”

“But nothing! You can stay here,” Jester said. “My mom’s the best! She’s sure to let you stay.”

Caleb stared at her and then looked out the window. “It’s getting late. I have to go. Thank you for the offer, but it’s too generous for me.” He started to go back into the closet.

Jester’s stomach dropped at the thought of him leaving. “Wait!” Caleb turned back to her. “Come back! I mean you should come back tomorrow. I’ll have more snacks tomorrow.”

“I cannot promise tomorrow,” Caleb said, making Jester deflate, “but I’ll come back as soon as I can.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “Ja. You have good snacks.”

Jester kissed Caleb on the cheek without thinking. “Don’t forget! You promised!”

“J-ja.” Caleb stared at nothing, his eyes wide and then shook his head. “I mean, ja, I’ll come back.”

“I’ll wait for you,” Jester said. “With all the best snacks and goodies.”

Caleb smiled at her, but there was a heavy sadness to it. “I’ll hold you to your word.” And with that he slipped into the closet and was gone.

Jester searched the closet for where he had gone, but there was nothing out of place in her closet. Sighing, she plopped down on her bed. Her head swam with all that happened. She’d met a monster and they were on their way to being good friends. Or at least she thought so. But what if she’d fallen asleep and this was all a dream? 

With a sense of urgency, Jester jumped up and turned on her lights. After blinking at the brightness for a moment, she looked around. Her room was the same as when she’d climbed into bed. Except that most of the cupcakes were gone. Jester gasped. She really had made a new friend.


	2. Chapter 2

Caleb kept finding himself returning to Jester’s closet. Only once or, if he was feeling truly bold, twice a week, but even that was most likely too often. There was something that kept drawing Caleb back to her room. He tried to tell himself it was just for the snacks and treats she would give him, but he knew it more than that.

There was something about Jester that drew him to her. He didn’t know what it was though. She was kind in her own weird way and her smile was bright. Jester didn’t even mind that he was a monster. And sometimes hours later, after Caleb had left and was alone, his skin still remembered the touch of her hand. A silly thing to be stuck on especially since he was nearly 16 and almost an adult, but it didn’t stop it from being a comfort though.

It had only been two days since Caleb had last visited Jester, but she had insisted that he must come back that night. Caleb knew it wasn’t worth the risk(Astrid and Eadwulf made a point to tell him that), but when it came down to it, Caleb couldn’t disappoint Jester.

"Happy Halloween!" Jester shouted out as Caleb came into her room.

Caleb jumped back in surprise. "What?"

"It's Halloween! Happy Halloween!" Jester was nearly bouncing with excitement. "Monsters do celebrate Halloween right?"

"I guess? I mean, I know what it is, but I didn't realize that it was today." Caleb usually found it easy to keep track of time and days, but some of the potions he was given would knock him out for days, so keeping track of days was complicated.

Jester nodded. "Well it is! Come on let's go!" She grabbed his hand and tried to drag him out of the room.

"Wait, no," Caleb said. "What are you thinking? I can't go out there." Jester had tried to convince Caleb to wear a disguise before, but he managed to convince her that it wasn't enough.

"It's Halloween. Everyone's dressed up as monsters, so no one will realize that you actually are one," Jester said.

He frowned at this. She did have a point, but the idea of going out made Caleb's stomach churn. "I don't know. What would we even do?"

Jester bounced on her heels. "Everything! We can go trick or treating or there's a street festival and we can dance and play games. They have candy apples and everything."

It was tempting, he had to admit that to himself. But that didn't change what he was. "Just because everyone else is pretending to be a monster doesn't mean that they would welcome a real one."

"Cay-leb," Jester dragged out his name, "it'll be fun. And I can't go out without you."

"You can't?"

Jester shook her head making her curls bounce. "Nope! Mom says that I have to go with someone and if you don’t go, then I’d have to take Blude and that’s not the same. Besides, I can't have fun with you being cooped up in wherever it is you go."

Caleb made a point to not tell her anything about his situation. She worried too much about him as it was. "I'm not someone for having fun."

She huffed. "You're telling me."

"I am. You go and tell me all about it. I love your stor-"Caleb's voice hitched and a shiver ran through him. He had to catch himself against the wall. White flashed before his eyes and his head was foggy and muddled for a moment.

"Caleb, Caleb?" Jester said holding on to his arm. "Are you okay?"

Caleb nodded slowly, careful not to jostle anything. "Ja, everything is fine. Just a little lightheaded."

"Here, sit down," Jester said, leading him to her bed. She turned on her bedside lamp and gasped. "Caleb! You're human! Ohmigosh! You're not a monster anymore!"

"What?" He stared at his hands. His pale furless hands. A heavy sigh rushed out of him. "This again."

Jester looked at him confused. "Again? Shouldn't you be more excited?"

He shook his head. "Don't get your hopes up. This has happened before. Twice. It was a long time between each one." Caleb wondered if it had been a yearly event and found himself wishing that he could know just how much time had passed. "I'll go back to being me by the time morning comes."

"But isn't that exciting? You're human and very handsome. Maybe one day you can always be human."

"Not likely," Caleb said.

Jester pouted. "You can at least pretend to be more excited."

Caleb shrugged. "I try to not get my hopes up."

"Too bad it's Halloween. Kinda feels like a waste," Jester said. "Wait! If you're human and not a monster, you can go out!"

"I shouldn't risk it," Caleb said.

Grabbing his hands, Jester pulled him up off the bed. "Why not? It's just one night. One fun night. You deserve it."

He snorted. "You don't know what I deserve."

"Fine then. I deserve it," Jester said. She grinned at his confused frown. "I deserve to go out with my friend and have a fun night. Come on, if you don't go, then I'll have to just go out with Blude and you know that won't be any fun.”

“Your friend?” Is that what she thought of him? Caleb valued their time together, but he didn’t dare to think that she did too.

A blush grew on Jester’s face. “Well, yeah. I mean we are friends right?”

Caleb nodded without thinking. “Ja, I would like that.”

“And friends do Halloween together! No take backs!” Jester’s smile took up nearly her whole face and Caleb found himself unable to say no.

“Alright, no take backs,” Caleb said. “How are we going to sneak out?”

Jester cocked her head to the side. “Sneak out? I mean yeah that’d be fun, but then you won’t get to meet my mom and she’s the best! I got special permission to go out tonight.”

The idea of just being able to leave was a novel one to Caleb, but Jester said it like it was a simple one. “Oh.”

“You’re going to love her, I just know it,” Jester said as she led him out of her room.

He looked around as she dragged him along, cheerfully chattering about this and that. Jester had told him that she lived in a fancy hotel, but it had never really sunk in for him until that moment. Everything was so grand and spotless, Caleb felt like smudge on the scenery. 

Jester suddenly stopped in front of an incredibly intimidating looking man. "Hey Blue," she said, "is Mama available?"

The man, Blude, nodded. "Go on in."

"Thanks Blude!" Jester said as she skipped in.

Caleb started to follow her, but Blude stopped him. "And you are?" Blude asked, sending a shiver down Claeb's spine.

Jester spun around with a huff. "Blude! That's my friend Caleb. I was telling you and Mama all about him at breakfast remember?"

"He wasn't made up?" Blude asked.

"No, he's real. Not all my friends are imaginary," Jester said. "Go on Caleb, show him how real you are."

Uncertain on what to do, Caleb waved awkwardly. "Hello."

"See? Real as they come," Jester said. "Now let's go see Mama."

If Caleb thought that the hallway was fancy, it was nothing compared to Jester's mother's room. The only description for it all was lavish.

Jester's mother was reading a book, but quickly she set it down when they came into the room. "My little Sapphire. Oh, and you brought a guest."

"Yep, this is Caleb," Jester said, waving a hand towards Caleb.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Caleb said with a bow.

Jester's mother stood up with a grin and crossed the room. "Oh, call me Marion. Now let me get a good look at you." She looked Caleb over, but her smile slowly faded. 

Caleb's stomach dropped. Did she somehow sense that there was something wrong with him? That he wasn't truly human?

"But, you are just skin and bone," Marion said.

"I told you that he was super skinny," Jester said.

Marion nodded. "Now, we can't have that. Have you eaten yet?"

Caleb shook his head. What he was given was a stretch to be called food. It might've been a lie, but he wasn't dumb enough to say no to a free meal. "No, ma'a-Marion."

"We'll eat at the festival," Jester said.

"This will only be a moment," Marion said as she opened the door. "Blude, will you be a dear and fetch us something from the kitchens?"

Blude nodded and left quickly.

"Are you sure that you don't want Blude to take you two to the festival?" Marion asked.

Jester shook her head looking the picture of stubbornness. "Mama, we're practically all grown up and we won't be that far."

Caleb nodded even though he didn't know where they were going. "I can't stay out that long anyways. Only an hour, maybe two tops."

"I suppose it will be alright then," Marion said. "But-" She was interrupted by the return of Blude and a tray of sandwiches."Thank you, Blude. Help yourselves."

Not needing to be told twice, Caleb stuffed a sandwich into his mouth. Jester grabbed one as well, but she didn't eat with the hunger he did. She kept talking to her mother and when they weren't paying attention, he slipped two sandwiches into his pockets.

As soon as Jester finished her sandwich, she grabbed Caleb’s hand. “C’mon, let’s go! Bye, Mama! We’ll tell you all about it when we get back.” She tugged him along down the stairs and at the door.

His breath caught in his throat when the fresh air hit his face. It had been so long since he had been outside, he had forgotten just what it smelled like. “Astrid and Eadwulf would love this,” Caleb whispered out loud.

“Who would love this?” Jester asked.

“No one,” Caleb said.

Jester shook her head and tugged on his arm lightly. “If you have friends you want to come along with us, we can go get them. The more the merrier!”

“It’s complicated. Just forget about it,” Caleb said gruffly.

“Oh, okay,” Jester said, deflating a little. But she shook it off quickly. “We can’t just stand here all night. I have to show you everything!”

The next two hours went by in a blur. There were candies and treats, games and tricks, shows and performances. Caleb vaguely remembered seeing those sorts of things before, but it was so long ago that even to his keen memory it was hazy.

All too soon, it was time for Caleb to go back. “Are you sure you can’t stay longer?” Jester asked at her closet door.

“Ja, I am certain,” Caleb said. He was pushing his luck as it was. “I’ll come again soon though.”

“Promise?” Jester held up her pinky.

Caleb linked his pinky to hers. “Promise.”

“I’ll make sure to have all your favorite snacks.”

He smiled, but the dread of going back to the closest thing he had to a home knotted his stomach. Caleb said a quick goodbye before he could talk himself into staying longer and slipped through the shadows of the closet to those of his cage. It was small and cramped, but it was where he belonged.

But something was wrong. The lights were all on, which was unusual since on most nights they were out by 9. Caleb’s stomach dropped.

“Ah, I was wondering when you would be joining us again.” Footsteps approached his cage, but Caleb couldn’t get himself to look up. He stared down at his hands. “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice your disappearance? Especially on the night of your yearly metamorphosis?” The cage door opened and finally Caleb looked up to see Trent Ikithon standing there. “Step out so we can properly discuss your punishment.”

“Told you you’d get caught,” Astrid hissed at Caleb as he left his cage. And she was right. Astird was always right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is when the plot really kicks in. Next chapter will be when you'll want to start paying attention to the tags.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where this fic really starts going. I hope you all like it.
> 
> Quick reminder to check the tags for this fic. Oh, and if there's something that's missing, please let me know.

Jester hadn’t seen Caleb in two weeks and her pillow was starting to stay permanently wet. “He promised,” she cried to her best friend and doll, the Traveler. “Caleb promised he’d come back.”

The Traveler just stared at her until Jester wiggled him around and gave him a low, silky voice. “Wow, Jester, he’s a jerk.”

“I know!” She frowned. “Well, maybe he’s not a jerk, but he’s acting like one.”

“There’s no excuse for leaving you like this.”

Jester nodded and then stopped. “Yeah, but I’m still worried about him. He won’t tell me anything, but I think he sneaks out to see me. What if he got caught or something bad happened to him?”

“And if something did happen to him, what can you do?” the Traveler asked.

“I don’t know,” Jester said, staring at her friend in her hands. “But I have to try.” She set the Traveler down on her bed and grabbed her backpack gathering supplies.

The Traveler stared at her. “I know you want to come with,” Jester said, “but this might be a dangerous mission. So I need you to stay here and stay safe. That and you’re not really real.” She gave the Traveler one last hug anyways.

Gathering her courage, Jester swung her backpack over her shoulder. The only problem was that she didn’t know where Caleb was. He never told her where he lived, and he always traveled back and forth through the closet. Jester had searched her closet a countless number of times before, but she looked in it again for a hint or a clue of how he did it. And again, all she found was a missing sock. She huddled in the corner, tears welling up in her eyes. “Caleb, where are you?”

And then, Jester fell back as though she had leaned too far back in a chair. She'd expected to hit the ground quickly, but instead it felt like she was falling through molasses. Just when she thought that this must've been a strange dream, Jester fell onto someone face first. "Sorry," she whispered as she got up. It could've only been a dream, but it was only fair to be polite.

"Jester?" It was Caleb. He was fully a monster again, but that felt right for him.

Her jaw dropped. "Caleb?!" Jester wrapped him in a tight hug. He was solid and there, so it really wasn't a dream. "Caleb! I found you."

He hid his face in her shoulder. "Ja, it is. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help you."

"How did you get here though? This doesn't make sense," Caleb said.

Jester tilted her head thinking. "Well, you see I was in my closet thinking about you and how I needed to get to you."

Caleb rubbed his arm. "I was thinking of you too. I must've somehow opened the path. I'm so sorry."

"For what?" Jester asked.

"Look around," a feminine voice said from the right.

Jester finally looked around her surroundings and her blood froze. It was a small cramped three sided room with bars closing the open side. Outside of the cell, was something out of an old horror movie. It was a stone room, old and slightly smelly with all the features of a mad scientist lab with hints of wizard stuff to it(but no stuffed alligator. Jester had long held the opinion that all proper wizards required a taxidermied alligator). "Is this a prison?"

"Of sorts, I suppose, but I don't think the old man would call it that." This voice came from the left and was a bit deeper than Caleb’s but still sounded like it belonged to a teen. “Are you finally going to introduce us to your guest, Bren?”

"Bren?" Jester stared at Caleb. "Who is Bren?"

Claeb sighed. "I am. I might've given you a fake name the night we met."

"How come?" Jester asked.

"Yeah, how come?" the deeper voice added.

The feminine voice chimed in, "I'm curious too."

Caleb(or rather Bren) groaned. "Because it might not be safe. I should be sending you home."

"So you're not introducing us?" the deep voice asked.

With another sigh, Caleb covered his face with his hands. "Jester, on the left is Eadwulf and to our right is Astrid, my oldest friends."

"His only friends," Eadwulf added.

Jester leaned forward and saw Eadwulf wave. His skin was pale, but dark feathers grew where for most people sat hair. It brought to Jester's mind a raven. She waved back. "Hi, I'm Jester."

"We've heard all about you, Jester," Astrid said. She held out a hand. Wiry, dark blonde fur covered the back of her hand. "Caleb's told us all about you."

"Only good things I hope," Jester said. “So you’re all monsters?”

“That’s one way to put it,” Astrid said. “Experiments is another way.”

There was a soft thump of Eadwulf leaning against the bars. “We weren’t always like this.”

Jester gasped. “You weren’t? You mean you’re science experiments?”

“More like magic experiments.”

“You mean magic exists?” Jester couldn’t believe it. True, this was very terrible and evil, and she felt bad for Caleb and his friends, but that didn’t stop her from finding this exciting.

Astrid laughed. “How did you think Caleb was visiting you all this time?”

Jester’s jaw dropped. “You guys can do magic?”

“We’ve been watching the old man,” Eadwulf said. “Figuring out how he does it. It was all Astrid’s idea.”

“But only Caleb can do anything,” Astrid said with more than a little frustration.

Caleb rolled his eyes. “I can only do the one spell. I wouldn’t call that impressive.”

“Still, that’s more than I can do,” Jester said.

A bright red blush covered Caleb’s face. “Well, I will show it to you one last time. I'll send you home."

"But you'll come visit me right?" Jester asked.

A pained look passed over Caleb's face. "I, I wish I could. I'll remember you, but it's not safe. For me to visit or for you to stay, I mean."

Jester pouted. "If it's not safe for me to stay, then it isn't for you. Or your friends."

"It's not so simple," Caleb said. "He can find us, but he will not be able to find you. So I'll send you home to your mother."

"But," Jester started to say, but the lights came on in the room and the sound of footsteps echoed down the stairs.

Caleb cursed softly. "Hurry to the back. I'll get you out.” His hands shook and his eyes were so scared while his catlike ears pressed flat against his head. He pressed his hands against the wall and closed his eyes, but nothing happened. "Come on. Come on. Work."

"Caleb," Astrid hissed, "hurry up."

"He's trying," Jester whispered.

Caleb's hands shook even more. “This should work. It always works.”

“You have to want it,” Astrid said. “With everything you got.”

“I do,” Caleb snapped back. “Be quiet.”

Jester tried to make herself as small and unnoticeable as possible behind Caleb. That didn’t stop her from peeking around him though. An old man, all yellowed and jaundiced, climbed down the stairs. Lank white hair pooled on his shoulders. “What is with this ruckus?”

Caleb stiffened, but then a clatter came from Eadwulf’s cell. “My thing broke,” Eadwulf said very loudly, “and we were trying to figure out how to fix it.”

“What thing?” the old man said rubbing the bridge of his nose. He sounded more than a little annoyed.

“My thing that holds stuff,” Eadwulf said.

A frustrated sigh huffed out of the old man. “What stuff? Be more succinct.”

“My memory’s drawing a blank,” Eadwulf said nervously.

“Hurry up, he can only buy so much time,” Astrid whispered.

Caleb growled back, “I’m trying, but it’s not working.”

Something fell again in Eadwulf’s cell.

“Enough!” the old man shouted and everything went quiet. “I expect you three to behave.” There was something about the way he said ‘behave’. A finality or maybe it was more like something clicking into place. Like the word had a heavy weight to it.

Caleb suddenly stood up straight and went to the bars of his cell. Jester huddled back in the corner hoping that the old man wouldn’t notice her. There was something creepy about how Caleb stood there completely still not moving.

“I thought I had eradicated all such trouble out of you three already,” the old man said. He stood in front of Eodwulf’s cell. “You should consider yourselves lucky that I am such a patient and tolerant man. Your punishments will not be so severe tonight.” There was something in his voice that Jester didn’t trust. The way he said punishment like it was something he considered a treat.

Jester held her breath and just hoped that he would leave without looking at Caleb’s cell. But she wasn’t so lucky.

The old man stared at her for a long moment and then, slowly, a slick grin grew across his face. “Now who do we have here? Step forward.”

With her stomach doing flip flops, Jester only trembled against the wall.

“Bren,” the old man said, “bring her forward.”

Caleb grabbed her and tried to drag her forward, but for a monster, he wasn’t very strong. “Caleb,” Jester whispered, “stop.” He kept trying to pull her toward the bars. A hollow emptiness filled Caleb’s eyes and he barely seemed to notice her.

“Really, she can’t be that heavy.” The old man sighed. “This is what I get for working with teenagers, I suppose.”

“Who are you?” Jester asked. Her voice sounded small and shaky in her ears.

The old man smirked. “I am but a humble practitioner of the arcane arts. You may call Trent Ikithon.”

Jester frowned. “You expect me to use your full name all the time? That’s kinda annoying. And what kind of magician name is Trent?”

“Wizard, not magician. I do not do mere parlor tricks.” The was a strong overtone of annoyance to his voice. “You may address me as sir. Now who are you?”

“Fiona Fancypants,” Jester said. She wasn’t dumb enough to give him her real name.

Trent just looked at Caleb. “Her name.”

“Jester.” Caleb’s voice felt wrong, void of everything that sounded like Caleb.

“That’s hardly a name,” Trent snorted. “And what are you doing here?”

Jester shrugged. “I just thought I’d check out the interior design here since I’m an artist, but it really doesn’t inspire me, so I’m just going to go home.”

Trent glared at Caleb who answered, “I brought her here.”

“Interesting. I had blocked you from leaving, but I hadn’t thought of you bringing someone here. Though, I wish you would've told me that we were going to have a guest, I could've prepared ahead for her, but no sense in looking a gift horse in the mouth," Trent said.

"Umm, this has been fun and all, but I really should be going home. My mom’s probably already missing me," Jester said. She twisted her arm out of Caleb's grasp. "So, um bye."

Trent chuckled. "You don't think that you can really go home? As easy as that? No, I would be a fool to give up a new subject when one falls into my lap." He turned away and started to pull out vials and a little cauldron.

Caleb snapped out of his fog and looked around. His eyes landed on Jester and he looked back at Trent. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I tried to send you home."

"It's fine," Jester said, giving him a cheery grin she definitely did not feel. "This is exciting."

"That's one way to put it," Astrid said. “But a better way is ‘agonizing’.”

Eadwulf huffed. “Don’t listen to her. She’s just trying to scare you.”

“Should I be scared?” Jester asked.

There was an uncomfortably long silence after that. It was punctuated by Trent puttering about making some kind of potion.

Caleb shifted next to Jester. “It looks like it's different from what he gave Astrid and Eadwulf. They had just one dose."

"And we’re complete failures," Astrid said. "He's probably going to replicate the success with Caleb. That was three doses right?"

"Four," Caleb said.

"He would've gone back and given us more of that stuff, but we were too old by that point. Has to be done before you reach a certain point of puberty otherwise your body is too rigid by that point to change," Eadwulf said.

Jester gulped. Her mother always called her a late bloomer and always told her that it just meant that she would be all the more impressive for it, but for the first time, Jester wished she was an early one. "Did it hurt?"

"The first time?" Caleb paused. "The later times it was like getting changed, well, changing clothes. It's just a thing you do. There's no real thought to it or anything. But the first time, it's hard."

"Eadwulf cried," Astrid said.

Eadwulf huffed. "You cried too and so did Caleb."

"So it does hurt," Jester said, shrinking in on herself.

"Nein, not like that. It's not quite painful, but more of knowing that you can never go home if you change," Caleb said.

Jester straightened up. "But, don't your parents miss you. If they're anything like my mama, they'd love you no matter what."

"We don't have parents, not anymore," Astrid said. "He," she cocked her head towards Trent, "made sure of that."

"I'll get you home. I promise," Caleb said. But he trembled and looked so uncertain. He was lying to her, but it was a kind one.

Jester gave him her biggest smile. "I know you will. You're super awesome, Caleb."

Caleb's face turned bright red and then it fell. Jester jerked back, someone grabbed her by the scruff of her shirt.

"Come on, we don't have time to waste," Trent said.

"Caleb!" Jester squeaked out.

Caleb grabbed both her hands and started to pull.

"Stop it!" Trent ordered and Caleb's face went slack letting go of Jester. But that didn't stop Trent from kicking Caleb back.

Tears welled up in Jester's eyes as Trent continued to drag her back. She tried to fight back, but his grip was like steel. Looking about, Jester realized that it wasn't Trent who held onto her, but Eadwulf with the same glassy stare as Caleb. Eadwulf was huge with nearly a foot and a half on Jester. His nose was almost a beak, and feathers grew out of his hairs. Mechanically, Eadwulf took Jester to a chair and strapped her to it.

Jester struggled against the straps, but it was no use. The straps hardly budged.

“This may have an unpleasant taste, but I assure you the research I am doing is well worth it,” Trent said.

“To who?” Jester asked.

Trent smirked. “To me, of course. Now drink up.” He shoved a glass bottle into Jester’s mouth and poured the contents down her throat.

It tasted like burnt gym socks and burned the whole way down her throat. Jester trembled and her stomach cramped. Her skin pickled and burned. Everything ached even her little toes. The whole thing just felt wrong.

“Hmm,” Trent said with a firm frown on his face, “not the most exciting of results, but I suppose I can’t complain too much. This is the first round after all. We’ll have time.”

For once, Jester didn’t have anything to say. Instead she stared at her hands and the light blue tint them. Running her tongue over her teeth, she noticed how they ended in a point. Her breath caught in her throat. None of this felt real. Part of Jester had expected it to all end perfectly okay, but it hadn’t. She was a monster now. Just like Caleb.

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/184706950@N02/50933646371/in/dateposted-public/)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I commissioned fidgemimic to draw Caleb, Astrid, and Eadwulf in this fic and AAAHHHH!!! They look so neat! And the tiny Jester outline in Caleb's portal!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAHHHHHH!!! We're at the climax!! I really hope you guys like it!

Caleb’s stomach lurched as he saw the changes overcome Jester. They were nothing severe yet though. Small curling horns poked out of her curly hair. A tail poked out of her skirt. She was still Jester, but it felt wrong to see her like that.

None of it troubled Ikithon. Few things troubled him. He spoke to himself on the results and took down some notes. With a snap of his fingers, he ordered Eadwulf to escort Jester back to Caleb’s cell.

Jester tripped on her way in, and Caleb tried to catch her, but he locked up and froze. If he could, Caleb would’ve groaned at the familiar sensation of Ikithon’s control over him. It felt like his head was filled with cotton and he was watching what was going on from a distance. A painfully long moment passed as Caleb had to watch Jester as she fell and then as she picked herself up.

It wasn't until Ikithon left the room that Caleb was no longer under his spell. "Jester," Caleb said as he went to her side. "Are you alright?"

"Yep! I'm a-okay," Jester said with a big grin.

"Huh," Eadwulf said. "Some people can bounce back from anything."

But he couldn't see her face. How hollow her smile was or how she kept blinking like she was fighting back tears. "Are you sure?" Caleb asked.

"Yeah. Now I'm like you and that's pretty cool," Jester said. She smiled showing off her fangs and then her smile faltered. "But my mom's probably missing me. Do you think we could send her a message?"

"Not likely," Astrid said before Caleb could say anything.

He huffed. "Hey, it's going to be fine. I'll find you a way home. Remember? I promised." Caleb grinned even though he didn't feel like it.

"Thanks Caleb," Jester said.

"How though?" Astrid asked. "You only know the one spell and Trent blocked you from it."

Caleb gave it some thought. "Maybe one of you can finally learn it."

"Yeah, you guys must be pretty smart," Jester said.

"It's not just about brains," Astrid said. "There's the need to want it more than anything."

Which was why Caleb had always expected it to be Astrid to figure out magic first, but it seemed like there was one thing missing that only he had stumbled upon. "There's something more than that," he said. "If we could figure that out, then we'd all be able to do it."

Jester bit her lip with thought. "Is monster magic different from human magic?" she asked.

"If it was, then Caleb couldn't do it at all," Eadwulf said.

"Yeah, but Caleb is human sometimes, right? So maybe that makes a difference," Jester suggested.

Astrid hummed. "That might be true, but that doesn't tell us what we could do to make magic work for us." She let out a breath in frustration. “If we could get our hands on his magic books, that would make this all a lot easier.”

Jester peaked over at Astrid through the bars. “Where does Trent keep them? Maybe we can find them.”

“He keeps his magic books and the like in the desk drawer by his cauldron,” Caleb said. “But you’re never going to get them. There’s no escaping the cages.”

“He let me and Eadwulf out earlier,” Jester said.

“Yeah, but in case you hadn’t noticed, he has us completely under his thumb,” Eadwulf pointed out. “When he lets us out, we can’t even blink without his permission. So, it’s hopeless.”

Sulking a little, Jester pouted. “Well, I don’t hear you guys suggesting anything.”

Caleb sat down next to Jester. “Ah, well, it is getting late. Maybe we should get some sleep?”

“Probably,” Astrid said. She paused for a long moment. “I’m not trying to be a jerk, Jester, but it’s better to accept these things sooner than later. It … hurts less that way.”

Jester curled up in a tight ball scowling. Caleb had to admit that she looked cute like that even with her new little horns budding out. A hot blush ran over Caleb’s face and he turned away.

Soon, soft snores came from Jester and Caleb found himself envying her.

“You like her don’t you?” Astrid softly asked.

Caleb could feel his blush renew. “What? She’s my friend, why wouldn’t I like her? Do you not like her?” A defensiveness grew in him.

“She doesn’t mean it like that. Jester is adorable and delightful,” Eadwulf said. “But you like her more than that, don’t you?”

“I have no clue what you are talking about,” Caleb said.

Astrid sighed. “It’s why you couldn’t send her back. Part of you didn’t want to say goodbye to her.”

Caleb’s heart dropped. He wanted to say that it wasn’t true, that he truly wanted her gone and out of his life forever, but that would be a lie. “I doomed her.”

“You did.” Astrid said it so matter of factly, but there was no blame or shaming in her voice. “But he would’ve looked for her anyways. You know how he is.”

It wasn’t much, but Caleb relaxed a little. “Thanks.”

“Also, the old man isn’t immortal. He has to die sometime,” Eadwulf said.

“I have plans for that,” Astrid said, reminding Caleb that he should probably be more afraid of her. “Now, follow your own advice and get some sleep. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a long day.”

* * *

Jester woke up to someone jostling her arm. “Five more minutes, Mom,” she mumbled as she rolled over. The shaking on her arm grew more intense. “Mnngnn.”

“Get up, get up. He’s coming.” It was Caleb.

“What?” Jester sat up. She looked down and saw how blue her hands were. It really wasn’t a dream. The urge to cry began to build up inside her, but she pushed it down. All crying did was make everyone else feel bad.

Caleb pushed a bowl of grayish mush to Jester. “It’s breakfast. Ikithon will be here soon. You’ll need to eat first.” He was eating his own bowl of mush with his hands and a look of resignation on his face.

Jester scooped out a bit of it out of the bowl wincing at the gloopy texture of it. As soon as it touched her tongue, Jester was gagging. “Is this wallpaper paste?”

“Nein, it is a nutritious meal with the exact minerals and vitamins we need,” Caleb said. “Besides, I think wallpaper would actually have a flavor.”

Jester glared at the mush. “And we’re expected to eat this?”

“We are,” Astrid said. “And if we don’t, we get punished.”

“If you eat it fast enough, you can almost pretend it’s only awful,” Eadwulf said.

Jester tried another bite and somehow managed to choke it down, but more mush sat in the bowl. It felt like the mush was mocking her.

Setting down his empty bowl, Caleb helped her finish her bowl. He looked almost green when they finished, but he gave her the faintest of smiles.

Footsteps echoed down the stairs and Jester clutched Caleb’s hand. He squeezed it lightly, but then he suddenly dropped it. That hollow look was back in his eyes and Jester’s heart dropped.

“No,” she whispered, but that didn’t stop him from getting up and standing in front of the bars. Scuffing came from the other cages as Astrid and Eadwulf did the same.

Trent stopped in front of Caleb’s cell. Jester was tempted to hide behind Caleb, but she knew it was no use. With a snap of Trent’s fingers, the cage door opened.

Without a second thought, Jester stepped in front of Caleb. She stared up at Trent, her heart pounding in her throat. “What-”her voice cracked squeaking out of her mouth. “What do you want?”

He only sneered at her. “Step aside.”

A strange fuzziness enveloped Jester and she started to move to the side. It felt funny and she shook her head shaking off the fuzziness. Caleb stared at her though his eyes were blank, but Trent had already turned around and was going to his work area.

“Come along, Bren. As for you,” he said over his shoulder to Jester, “stay there. I’ll figure out what to do with you later.” Trent hadn’t even bothered to close the cage after Caleb.

Jester stared after them, hardly believing her luck. She kept expecting Trent to realize his mistake, but he didn’t one time turn back to check on her. Trent had taken Caleb to the chair where he had changed Jester; Caleb wasn’t strapped down though.

Carefully, Jester crept out of the cell. Astrid and Eadwulf watched her with mixed expressions of shock and eagerness. Trent straightened up, and for a moment, Jester thought he was going to turn and look straight at her, but he merely stretched and went back to work.

Finally Jester made it to Trent’s desk with the little cauldron on it. The burner was on and the cauldron bubbled merrily. At least something is happy here, Jester thought. She was mere yards away from Trent and she could hear her heart hammering so hard she was certain that everyone else could hear it, but no one seemed to notice. With more care than Jester had ever used in her life, she tugged at the desk drawer and it creaked ever so slightly.

Caleb turned his head towards her and stared at her. Trent tutted. "Eyes on me." And with an almost audible snap, Caleb's head turned back to Trent.

Jester released the breath she only just then realized that she was holding. The desk drawer was clutter with papers and notes on all sorts of tests and experiments, the topmost ones being about her. A hot anger built in her stomach. She wanted to tear it all up and throw it all the window(well, if there was a window. Jester was pretty certain that they were in a basement. It only made sense for a terrible lab to be in a basement. Though, Trent was a wizard and wizards usually worked in towers, but they were at the bottom of the stairs, so they must've been in a basement). Taking a breath, Jester ignored her anger. It wouldn't help any of them get out. The papers were covering the books. On the covers were a language Jester didn't speak, but they felt mystical.

"Now, this will hurt so I expect no whimpering," Trent said to Caleb. In Trent's hand was a blade that was comical in it's large size. He pressed it into Caleb's arm and blood welled up and spilled over on Caleb's pale fur.

The red flashed in Jester's eyes, and for a moment, it was all she could see. Not thinking, Jester grabbed the papers and notes and the burner, turning up the fire first. "Hey!" Jester yelled.

Trent turned and for half a second was taken aback. "How did you get out?"

"You didn't close the door," Jester said simply. She held the papers just out of the reach of the fire. "Let Caleb go."

"Who?"

"I mean, Bren. No, I meant Caleb," Jester said.

Astrid and Eadwulf were muttering in the background. Jester was pretty sure they were disappointed by her ignoring the books, but she didn't care. There was no way she was going to stand aside and let anyone hurt Caleb.

Trent huffed out a curse. “You really are more trouble than you are worth. And what would ‘your’ Caleb do out in the world? He needs me to protect him.”

“How is hurting him protecting him?” Jester asked, her legs trembling.

“I need to know how he works. This is how I gather data, but I suppose I shouldn’t expect a little girl to comprehend any of this. It’s all to better understand him,” Trent said.

Jester frowned. “Understanding isn't protecting. You’re just using him.”

“I do what must be done. Which is why I offer you this as a trade,” Trent said holding up a vial of bubbling blue liquid. “This for my research unharmed.”

“What is that?” Jester asked.

Trent waved the vial lightly. “This is the antidote.”

“Antidote? You mean to this?” Jester waved at her everything. “You can fix this?”

"Certainly. I would be a fool if I couldn't undo what I have done. Unfortunately, the process is quite a complicated one, so I've only been able to do it once. And it can be yours if you just put my research down," Trent said. He sounded kind and personable, but he still was slick and slippery.

Jester took a step back. "Why would you do this, though? I thought you'd want to keep all your subjects and stuff."

"Unfortunately for me, your absence was more notable than I had expected, Miss Lavorre," Trent said. "It's all over the internet already. And while I'm good at covering my tracks, I'd rather avoid the possibility of someone snooping around here."

"They're looking for me already?" Jester's mother had always kept Jester's existence a closely guarded secret, so for her to step forward about her being missing was a big deal. Her mother must've been worried sick about her. And if Jester went back home, then she could reveal what Trent was doing and then they could free Caleb and his friends. "I'll do the trade."

A smirk crossed Trent's lips. "I knew you'd be clever. But don't think that you're too clever. It won't do you any good to tell anyone about what you've seen here or what happened to you. No one would be silly enough to believe you. Monsters and wizards are the works of fantasy after all."

Jester opened her mouth to argue, but Jester's mother didn't even believe her when she told her about Caleb in the first place. "But you'll send me home, right?"

"Of course. I have no need for a normal human," Trent said. He handed the vial to Caleb who brought it over to Jester.

"Thank you, Caleb," Jester said softly. She set the burner and the papers down, not paying much attention to them.

Caleb stared blankly at her, and Jester's heart ached for him. It didn't feel fair to her, but there was nothing that she could do to help him.

"Hurry up," Trent said. "I have more experiments to conduct today."

On Caleb, Jester finished in her head. Not thinking or second guessing herself, Jester popped off the cork from the vial and shoved it into Caleb's mouth.

* * *

Caleb gulped instinctively. The liquid tingled down his throat and tasted surprisingly minty.

"Spit that out!" Ikithon ordered.

"I can't," Caleb said. "I swallowed it already."

Jester grinned proudly. "And he's going to be human now. You have no use for a normal human you said so yourself, so you have to let him go and be happy outside."

"Stupid girl," Ikithon snarled. "Not only did you throw away your only chance to get out of here, you flushed three years of research down the drain."

"It was worth it to help Caleb," Jester said.

Caleb stared at her. She gave up everything for him and all she did was smile at him like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like she did not and would never regret helping him.

A shiver ran down Caleb’s spine and he went blind followed by a rush hot then cold for a second and then his vision returned. He still had his fur, but it was much thinner and he felt different in a way he couldn't quite explain.

Ikithon rubbed his temples. “There's no helping it I suppose. I was hoping to wait longer for this, but I have time for an autopsy today." He grabbed Caleb roughly by the wrist and started to drag him to his operating table.

"What? No, no," Jester cried out. "You can't!" She rushed forward and pushed Ikithon away from Caleb. The old man stumbled backwards tripping and hit his head hard against the desk jostling the burner knocking it over and setting the pages and notes on fire. Ikithon laid on the floor unmoving.

Caleb and Jester just stared at him unsure on what to do. "Hey!" Astrid yelled, snapping them out of their daze. "Get us out of here!”

"Right," Caleb said, running to Astrid's cage and opening it. Fortunately, it was not too complicated of a lock.

Jester trailed behind, but she managed to get to Eodwulf's cage by the time Caleb finished opening Astrid's cage. Another tremor ran through Caleb and he came to staring at his mostly human hands. "Come on,” Jester said, tugging on his arm, “let's get out." She turned to the stairs and her face fell.

Caleb followed her gaze and his stomach dropped. The fire was growing at an astonishing rate and had already blocked the stairs. "What are we going to do?"

"You're going to get us out of here," Astrid said. "Just like you promised Jester."

"But I can't. Ikithon blocked my magic. I can't," Caleb said, starting to shake.

Jester pulled out the magic books. "I was able to get these. They'll help, right?"

"With weeks of study, ja, but we don't have that kind of time," Caleb said. The smoke was building in the room, and Eadwulf was starting to cough. "I'm sorry."

"You have to try," Jester said. "I believe in you."

A blush spread across Caleb's face. "I don't know if I can."

Eadwulf leaned forward and whispered in Caleb's ear. "You have to want it with everything you got. Imagine how happy she'll be once you get her home."

"I'll try, but I can promise nothing." Caleb got on his knees and pressed his hands on the ground picturing Jester's closet, but he ran into that same roadblock he had earlier. It was like he knew the right door, but it was locked and he didn't even know where to look for the key. Angry tears welled up in his eyes. He knew how to do this, but he was blocked.

Jester gently placed her hand over Caleb’s. “It’s okay. We’re here with you.”

And with that, the block disappeared and Caleb completed the spell. The cage disappeared around them and the 4 teens were crammed tight in Jester’s closet. It was a cacophony of “Whose foot is that?” “Get your elbow out of my ear!” and “I keep telling you, that’s my nose not the doorknob.”

Then the door popped open and the four of them tumbled out into a heap. Once Jester climbed off of his back, Caleb looked up to see Marion there, her eyes wide as she stared at them. “Jester?” she whispered out, now staring at the tail that poked out of her skirt. “What happened to you?”

“Mama!” Jester lunged into her mother’s arm and began to sob big sloppy tears.

Marion softened and stroked Jester’s hair. She paused for a moment at Jester’s new horns, but soon continued. “But we can save that story for later. I’ll have Blude get us all some hot chocolate.”

It was only then that it became real to Caleb. He did it. He got them all out of there and away from Ikithon. And most importantly, he got Jester back home. He actually did it. Trembling, one last shudder went through him and he was human. Fully and completely human.

Astrid and Eadwulf stared at him. “Bren,” Astrid whispered.

“Nein,” he said. “Caleb, I’m Caleb now.” A laugh welled up in him and Caleb gave into laughing harder than he had in years.

There were still plenty of questions to be answered including where were Caleb, Astrid, and Eadwulf to go from there and how to confirm that they were truly safe from Ikithon, but for now Jester was with her mother and Caleb was laughing. That was enough for him.


	5. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH!!!! The epilogue!!!
> 
> I really hope you all enjoyed this fic. I had fun writing it.

Five Years Later

Loud footsteps echoed behind Caleb as he copied down a spell. A soft giggle followed them making Caleb chuckle and shake his head as he waited for his 'intruder'. Orange and black confetti rained down on him and his still wet ink. "Happy Halloween!" Jester shouted. She was dressed up as a witch or rather a witch who dressed solely in bright pinks and purples.

"Happy Halloween," Caleb repeated back much softer. He brushed some of the confetti out of his hair.

"Caleb! You're not dressed yet!" Jester pouted. "We can't go to the Halloween festival if you're all normal looking."

He smiled. "And we would never want to miss it."

Jester put her hands on her hips and gave Caleb a judgy look. "Of course not! Cay-leb, this is our holiday. We have to do something special for it.” A fact Caleb was very well aware of. Jester had even came back from college in Zadash to just spend the holiday and weekend in Nicodranas.

"Ja, I know," Caleb said. "Jester can I ask you a question?" His pulse began to race as he prepared to ask her.

"Of course! You just asked me one," Jester said. "Actually, I had one for you too."

Caleb's heart skipped a beat. Jester had a question for him? It couldn't possibly be the same one that he had, but he could always dream. "What is it?"

"Have you seen Astrid? I told her that I'd do her makeup for her, but I can't find her anywhere." Jester's makeup sessions with Astrid were the makings of legends. The kind that involved weeping and wailing with victims strewn all about.

"I haven't a clue." Which was honest. Astrid stopped hiding at the apartment Caleb and Eadwulf shared with Blude long ago(originally, Jester wanted all of them to live with her mom, but the idea of four teenagers living in one apartment was enough to make Marion pale).

Jester huffed. "I was going to make her look super cute."

Caleb smiled. "I'd like to see that.

"Really?" Jester leaned forward examining Caleb. "Do you liiike her?"

"Ja, but not like that," Caleb said. Their time with Ikithon complicated his feelings for her. Just the thought of kissing Astrid felt odd.

Jester nodded thoughtfully. "So, what was your question?"

"Could you-? I mean, would you like to? No, that is-"

"Did a cat get your tongue, Caleb?" Jester asked. She smiled at him.

Caleb gulped hard and could feel himself blushing. "Would you," he took a deep breath, "would you like to see my research?" No, that wasn't the question he wanted to ask at all, but it was an easier one to ask. "I think I'm getting close to curing you. And Astrid and Eadwulf of course."

"Sure, but I'm not really good at magic. You should ask Astrid or Wulf. Oh, or your teacher, Izma!"

"Yussa," Caleb corrected. "They all think this is a fool's errand. And maybe it is. They say that it would be better for me to give up."

Jester held his hands in hers. "Caleb, I believe in you. And if it's impossible, I'm okay with that. We all are. But I know you and that you won't give up until you're certain it's impossible. And if that happens, that's okay, I'm a super cute monster and it's easy for me to hide it." Both were very true. Caleb couldn't imagine anyone prettier than her, and it only took her fluffing out her hair to cover her horns. The blue was a simple matter of makeup and her tail tucked neatly in her skirts. Sometimes she'd even not bother hiding any of it and everyone would just think she was dressing up for fun. It was hard not to be jealous of her when he remembered how he once could not hide any of what he was. “So, umm, you don’t have to worry about me.”

It took more time and planning for Astrid and Eodwulf to go out, but disguising themselves was possible. And Caleb was human now. Even after all those years, it still felt weird to him to know that he was just himself. “Danke,” he said softly.

“You’re welcome!” Jester said smiling. “Oh, do you know when Eadwulf will be ready to go? He’s usually good at finding Astrid.”

“I don’t know.” Caleb rubbed his arm. “Um, actually, about tonight.”

Jester looked up at him with big eyes. “Yeah?”

He looked away, not having the nerve to look at her. “I was wondering if we could go together?”

“Of course!” Jester said. “But we were already going together. And with Astrid and Eadwulf.”

Caleb felt his blush return. “I meant, like just the two of us together. Like a date.”

Jester’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, oh. Like a date.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. It was a dumb idea.”

She grabbed his hand. “No, I like that idea a lot actually.”

His heart skipped a beat. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Jester said nodding. Her blue cheeks were tinged pink. “I’ve kinda been thinking that that would be nice.”

“Ja, it would,” Caleb breathed out. A shudder then went down his spine and his eyesight went white for a moment. Jester held his arm keeping him upright. He looked down at his hands to see they were furred and monstrous just like they were every Halloween after he became human. “Now, I am ready for Halloween.”


End file.
